Guap Tarantino

Georgia rapper Guap Tarantino spins narratives of street existence through a loose, melodic vocal approach frequently paired with somber, tuneful instrumentals. Growing up in Atlanta’s Kirkwood district—locally nicknamed “Lil’ Mexico”—he is the cousin of rapper Future. Guap started rhyming at eight years old and adopted his performing moniker from Quentin Tarantino after watching the director’s Django Unchained during high school. While selling goods on the street as a teenager he repeatedly ran afoul of law enforcement, and at nineteen he suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen in a confrontation outside a gathering. After joining Future’s Freebandz collective, he launched his career by distributing homemade mixtape discs directly to passersby. Although 2016’s Fatboy Season marked his first official project, the 2017 follow-up Guap Mode brought him wider attention. Thereafter he committed to music full-time, appearing at the studio daily. That steady output included one new mixtape each year—Geico in 2018, Charge ’Em Up in 2019, and Bandemic in 2020—plus the two EPs One Night, recorded with Nav, and Off the Charge.